Mid-year report: Best driver, biggest surprise and more
It has been a bumper first seven rounds of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, which is on a break with Olympics taking centre stage.
In 16 races, there have been seven different winners from six different teams, with 12 different drivers standing on the podium.
With five rounds left, there is a genuine Ford versus Chevrolet title fight on the cards, with Chaz Mostert now Will Brown's closest rival.
With Tasmania just two weeks away, Supercars.com has recognised the best of 2024 so far, ahead of what looms as a dramatic and tense championship battle.
Best driver: Will Brown
Honourable mention: Chaz Mostert
With 13 podiums in 16 races, it had to be Will Brown, who has been championship leader since the Grand Prix in March. Brown opened the year with 11 podiums in 12 starts, and apart from a crash in Townsville, has been rock-solid. Brown's only frustration is that he hasn't taken more wins than his three, with the Queenslander also winless since Taupō in April. Still, Brown leads teammate Broc Feeney 10-6 in the race head-to-head battle. Feeney has five wins, but in the 11 races Feeney hasn't won, Brown is 10-1.
However, props go to Chaz Mostert, who is now just 105 points behind and mounting the best title bid of his career. That number looks even smaller when you remember Mostert lost points when a wheel fell off in Taupō while he was fighting for the win, as well being delayed by Super Soft wobbles in Darwin.
Best team: Triple Eight
Triple Eight has amassed a 802-point lead over its nearest rival, thanks to eight wins in the first 12 races. In the early rounds, when the field cleansed, it was often Brown versus Feeney, with the teammates notably sprinting away from the field in New Zealand. The Bulls have been winless since Darwin, and despite Ford teams setting the pace in Townsville and Sydney, Triple Eight would need a disaster of dramatic proportions to lose the teams' championship.
Biggest breakout: Matt Payne
Honourable mention: Thomas Randle, James Golding, Ryan Wood
A name on everyone's lips after Adelaide, Matt Payne is coming into his own in his second season, winning in Townsville and taking poles in Melbourne and Taupō. Payne is leading the next Kiwi wave and, had he not been inconsistent in the opening rounds, could be vying for the title. Compatriot Ryan Wood has shown several glimpses of his generational talent, while Thomas Randle and James Golding are finally breaking into the championship's top tier.
Biggest surprise: Nick Percat
Honourable mention: James Golding, Ryan Wood
Nick Percat's two seasons at Walkinshaw Andretti United were nightmarish, and a move to Matt Stone Racing heralded a new dawn for the veteran. He has delivered, claiming a stunning victory at the Grand Prix and becoming a regular contender for the top five. Poor luck and qualifying pace in recent rounds have seen Percat drop from ninth to fourth, but the 2011 Bathurst winner has ultimately rebuilt his reputation as one of Supercars' top-drawer drivers.
Best silly season pick-up: Will Brown
Tasked with replacing Shane van Gisbergen, Will Brown has exploded into life at Triple Eight, leading the championship for all but two races this season. Brown is in the box seat to win the title, making him an easy choice in the 'best driver movement' stakes.
Nick Percat has also elevated Matt Stone Racing to new heights, and can still bring home a top five championship finish. Before 2024, MSR's previous best championship finish was 12th.
Unluckiest driver: Brodie Kostecki
Honourable mention: Cam Waters, Anton De Pasquale
After missing the first two rounds, Brodie Kostecki came back to plenty of attention and expectation. However, the reigning champion has suffered a DNF and DNS courtesy of engine problems, and was involved in incidents in Taupō, Perth and Townsville. Anton De Pasquale has also been caught up in a number of incidents, and was a non-starter at the Grand Prix due to an issue on the way to the grid. Then, there's the perennial poor-luck magnet Cam Waters, who lost a wheel in Bathurst, crashed out of the lead in Melbourne, and was taken out off the line in New Zealand. Thankfully for Waters fans, he has been a fixture at the front since.
Best race: Townsville (Race 14)
Honourable mention: AGP (Race 5), Taupō (Race 7), Sydney (Race 15)
Never mind race of the season, the Townsville opener will live on as one of the best Supercars races ever. Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert went into battle on more than one occasion, with a late-race shower setting up a grandstand finish. Ultimately, Waters won out after a late overtake, with Will Brown charging from 13th onto the podium.
It was hard to go past the wet-weather, emotionally-charged victory for Andre Heimgartner in Taupō, with a thrilling Triple Eight battle taking place on the following day. Mostert's charges to victory in Sydney were also impressive. Then, there's the Mostert versus Triple Eight battles in Bathurst, and the Waters/Matt Payne collision and Nick Percat masterclass in Melbourne.
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on August 16-18. Tickets for the event are on sale now. Live coverage can be found on Foxtel, with live streaming available on Kayo. Highlights will be shown on the Seven Network and 7plus. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.
